"Art has become about the artist, not the art, and every true artist knows that the two are not separate. The Beatles long ago showed us that genres were irrelevant and that anything goes as long as it is made with care, honesty, creativity, and skill. This album is unique to itself. It contains two tracks, that can never be fully recreated live, and will never be heard in the same way, anywhere else, but on this record. It cannot be separated and sold as parts. It cannot be listened to outside of what it is. It is one of a kind." This is, in part, the way that "It Could Just Be This Place," the newest offering from local fixture Not an Airplane, was presented to me in a "press release"

Viva Los Gigantes! October baseball is in full swing, friends, with the Giants gearing up for a pitching-heavy series against Flip-Flip-Flipadelphia that will probably feature less scoring than a church group ice cream social. Good news is, games one and two are on on early this weekend, so there's plenty of time to catch some tunes and a couple (more) adult beverages. Ozomatli - Ya se fue! It can be easy to moan about the sometimes spotty and inconsistent calendar of large name touring acts that pass through Sactown, but Ozo is one of those bands that consistently drops us some love, routinely playing an annual gig at Sac State’s Union Ballroom. “Fire Away,” released on April 20 (shock

When San Francisco’s Birds & Batteries offered up their bouncy five song EP “Up to No Good” in 2009, it came off like a snap-hook deviation from the electro indie country sound they’d introduced in 2007 with “I’ll Never Sleep Again.” It seemed that, while both releases had their own flavorful yet dissociated appeal, the group may have been experiencing a bit of an identity crisis, cold-shouldering their uniquely synth-tinged Americana and indie rock ways for a backwoods romp through some shady electric funk and beat-heavy digital doozeys. What we were seeing was merely two different facets of the band’s multi-layered persona, and “Panorama” is the intriguing and alluring sonic reconciliat

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) has released the 2010 schedule for the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. The free, outdoor concert series will rock Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th and J streets) every Friday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting May 7 though August 13. For the latest concert news, visit www.downtownsac.org/concerts. 2010 CONCERT SCHEDULE* May 7 - Kepi Ghoulie The Kelps, Dog Party, Simpl3jack May 14 - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Low Down Dirty Dogs May 21 - Dance Gavin Dance Phallucy, Con of Man, Desario May 28 - Mike Farrell Aaron King & The Imperials, One Eyed Rhyno June 4 - Method Echo The Nibblers, Live Manikin June 11 - The Nickel Slots Los Blazing Hangovers